Harris, Joanne - Chocolat 02 The Girl with No Shadow

Details: In this sequel to Chocolat, master confectioner and benevolent witch Vianne Rocher trades the quaint village of Lansquenet for a very contemporary Paris — complete with le mйtro, iPods, and identity theft. Five years after she closed up her scandalous chocolaterie, respectable Vianne no longer practices magic or makes her own sweets. But old habits resurface when a beguiling (and tech-savvy) enchantress befriends her daughter and covets Vianne's life. Fans of Joanne Harris' original fairy-tale novel (and the treacly 2000 Juliette Binoche film) will find a darker Chocolat in The Girl With No Shadow, but a far richer treat.

For all those who loved Chocolat — Vianne is back!

This is a tale of two witches, one good and one bad. The good witch, Yanne Charbonneau keeps a chocolaterie in Montmartre. She has two children she loves dearly; Annie and Rosette. She even has lover, Thierry, who wants to look after Yanne and her children. Her life sounds perfect. But it isn't.

Yanne and Annie are living a lie. They are really Vianne and Anouk Rocher, and they are existing under assumed names, trying to fit into a society where magic has no place. After a terrifying brush with social services, Vianne is convinced that any hint of magic will mean her children are taken away from her, and as a result, spells are forbidden. Anouk has become increasingly resentful, feeling that her ”real” mother is slipping away. And a new problem is about to arise in the person of Zozie de l'Alba, a young woman who is everything that Vianne once was — with one exception: beautiful, powerful, and utterly ruthless, Zozie is a scavenger, stealing identities.

Zozie befriends Anouk, encouraging her to use the special powers that Vianne has encouraged her to suppress. She helps Vianne in the chocolaterie and transforms the bewitching Thierry along the way. Over the next few weeks, as Zozie dazzles, Vianne wanes, gradually losing her daughter, friends and confidence to this woman who now seems to be her only friend.

When Roux (Rosette's father, albeit unknowingly) comes to visit, Vianne is on the verge of running away, leaving everything (including Anouk) to Zozie's care. But Zozie's charm has no effect on Roux, and he sees what Vianne cannot see; that there is no kindness in Zozie, only greed and lust for power. He urges Vianne to fight. As the stage is set for the biggest battle of her life, Vianne realizes that only one thing can combat Zozie. With everything at stake, she must face her fear and use her own magic for one last, gigantic showdown.

Joanne Harris - The Girl with No Shadow (published in the UK as The Lollipop Shoes)